Drips and Drabbles
by MsFrizzle
Summary: Assorted Shorts and Drabbles
1. Doomsday

******AN: I finally followed advice and split off the the series of drabbles that had developed into a connected story line which I will post under the title "To Catch a Ghost". This story will remain a place to post drabbles that are not necessarily related. I posted a new chapter at the end.  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom or any of it's characters.**

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Doomsday

Phantom was starting to panic. He had been struggling for hours frantically running around getting the materials for his defense but he was flagging now.

Hadn't Lancer said "Beware of the Ides…?" It was true for Julius Caesar; it was true for him as well. The day of doom indeed.

He was in trouble now and he knew it.

He wiped the sweat off his face and reached for his phone. It was time to call for back up.

The voice as the other end was cheerfully indifferent to his plight.

"Hello, IRS helpline. How may I be of assistance?"


	2. IRS Helpline

**Guess what I've spend the day doing?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom or any of it's characters. Nor the IRS – they own me. **

** IRS Hotline **

"I need help filling out the forms."

The voice on the other end of the line sounded young; probably a first-timer. "What specifically?"

"Everything after my name."

She sighed. "Did you have any income this past year?"

"Yeah. It's complicated."

No short form then. "Shoebox?" she asked.

"Pardon?"

"I bet you have your financial papers in a shoebox."

"Two, actually." came the rueful reply.

"Actually, that's good. At least you kept records."

"I'm not certain I even need to file." The boy grasped at straws.

"To quote Franklin, 'the only certainty in life is death and taxes.'"

"Yeah, uh….about that…"


	3. Differentiation of Species

A particular thank you to Sapphireswimming who's drabble 'registration' was instrumental as well as all kind beta advice.

I suppose this isn't actually a true drabble since it has 250 words – maybe I should call it a dribble?

As you can see, the science teacher in me has come out for this one.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.

Credit for the Theory of Evolution, Natural Selection, Differentiation of Species, Survival of the Fittests is Charles Darwin.

Differentiation of the Species

If he hadn't missed so many biology classes in high school, he would have found out earlier. As it was it came as a bit of a shock.

The TA was lecturing about basic biology. After a few mandatory innuendoes about passing genes onto the next generation, he began outlining the Theory of Evolution. Danny dutifully took notes on Darwin, Natural Selection and Survival of the Fittest.

"So eventually these differences were enough that the finches were considered separate species. Where there was one species, there now are two."

A student in the front raised her hand. "So, how do we know when the differences are enough that they are considered separate species?"

"Good question. There is some debate over the exact definition but in general when they no longer mate and produce fertile offspring. So that dogs, of which there are many breeds, are considered a single species because they can mate and produce puppies. These mutts can produce offspring of their own, in turn.

Differentiation can also occur if there are changes in courtship behavior, geography, or other factors that prevent mating.

There are also cases such as the mule, which is produced by breeding a male donkey with a female horse. The mule is a hybrid of both parents but is sterile so they cannot 'breed true'. Since mules are sterile, donkeys and horses are considered different species. Basically when you mess with the DNA enough they are no longer compatible."

The color drained from Danny's face.


	4. Guy Talk

Guy Talk

"That's why I need her so badly. She's the only one who knows me and liked me from before. As a socially inept, not-too-bright, ordinary guy. Sam helps me keep my balance, my sanity. Well, you do too, Tucker, but I'm not going to marry you – no offense."

"None taken. Besides my wife might object."

There was a pause while they sipped their drinks.

"If it makes you feel better, we're not the only ones to notice that sometimes you can still be a socially inept, dim, awkward, clumsy, boring….."

"Thanks."

"No problem. What are friends for?"

"She's also hot."


	5. Oslo

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom**

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Oslo

Blast Skulker! I bet he did this on purpose. He knows how much I hate being a public spectacle. Stupid warped sense of humor.

Sam and Tucker flanked him as co-recipients. Phantom gave a brief speech insisting that he couldn't have done it without everyone else, especially the Fentons, and really everyone in the world, and even the ghosts were the real heroes.

Danny stared straight ahead, daring the chairman to so much as quirk an eyebrow as he solemnly presented the medal, diploma, and the certificate to a Nobel Peace Prize laureate who was sporting a black eye.

* * *

**AN: The Nobel prizes can only be shared among three, so sorry Jazz. Actually it must be given to a living recipient so Phantom probably would not qualify either.**


	6. Friday Rounds

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom**

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Friday Rounds

Time for a little PR. Actually of all the schemes to drum up support for his town that Tucker had come up with this was by far his favorite. Maybe in part, because Tucker himself steadfastly refused to participate.

The receptionist greeted him. "I'll phone up and let them know you're on the way. They look forward to your visits."

"Me, too." He hated it when other obligations kept him from coming.

He phased into the playroom. They liked a dramatic entrance. Even kids as sick as these played when they were able. They greeted his arrival with a shout.

"Phantom!"

For the next hour he spent time with them playing the video games, laughing at their jokes, and admiring their pictures. Sometimes he just sat by their beds and talked. For an hour on Friday afternoons they could forget that they had cancer or failing hearts, livers or kidneys and just be kids hanging out with their hero.

The nurse escorted in a new patient. An IV was attached to one arm and the other was crooked so a thumb could be inserted into his mouth below wide sunken eyes. He tried to duck behind the nurse wheeling the IV stand. Danny knelt down.

"Hi, my name is Danny. What's yours?"

The boy just stared at him solemnly. Danny wondered if conjuring a ball of ectoplasm would bring a smile to that face that clearly knew more pain that a four year old should.

Suddenly the thumb came out with a pop and the eyes brightened with a giggle.

"Mister, I have the same pajamas as you."

* * *

**AN: this was inspired by a radio segment that feature a man that took advantage of his uncanny resemblance to Batman to dress the part and visit sick kids at a hospital. **

**Yeah, I know that this dribble is not really the next on in this sequence, but my "Danny muse" has not been cooperating in this. He's been complaining that I'm having entirely too much fun at his expense and has been threatening to go on strike unless I write something nice for him.  
**


	7. Graduation Requiremens

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom**

**Yeah! I found my flashdrive.**

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Graduation Requirements

"Before today's lesson, it is my sad duty to hand out these envelopes. If you receive one, it means that you still have some outstanding obligation that will keep you from graduating. It behooves you to pay those lab fees, turn in that missing assignment, return those library books, find those textbooks, and in short get your affairs in order."

"Isn't that what they tell the condemned?"

The class laughed.

"How appropriate, Ms. Manson." Lancer agreed wryly.

Lancer sighed as he handed Fenton one. Fenton had missed enough classes, excused and unexcused to be short a few credits. It wasn't a surprise. They had discussed it before, but it still stung.

The second page noted a lengthy list of owed fees, mostly broken lab equipment and textbooks. The teacher heard the boy console himself with a muttered, "Better the books than me."

But it was the third page that had the student out of his chair with a cry of indignation.

Fenton showed the paper to Manson and Foley. They burst out laughing.

Surely, the consequence of numerous missed classes and poor grades was no laughing matter.

Fenton choked in disbelief. "It says I don't have any community service hours!"

* * *

**AN: This dribble is in honor of a school a worked at for many years. It is closing and tomorrow will be the last day of school and the last graduation. A rather bittersweet occasion.**


	8. Domestic Bliss

I suppose this could have been submitted for SaphireSwimming's Through Danny Phantom Challenge under "What you Want" episode but the rewatch for that was quite some time ago and this scene takes place years in the future. (yeah, I know I'm way behind in that too)

Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom.

I'm sorry to those who were expecting the next installment in this sequence but my suborn Danny Muse spit this out instead.

Danny Muse: Hey, Tucker deserves something nice too. He's a great guy and you don't appreciate him enough. Besides...I lost a bet.

* * *

Domestic Bliss

There were times Tucker had to admit that he was envious of his best friend. Every now and then he'd forget the cost of Danny's powers. It was easy to do so when he could see Danny Phantom flying outside his window while he toiled through unimaginable loads of paperwork.

But then there were moments like this. His wife smiled as she watched from the doorway. Tucker's small daughter sat in his lap as he helped her wire her first circuit. The girl squealed with delight as the bulb flashed.

"Daddy! We did it!"

He wouldn't trade this for anything.


	9. Stargazing

**I do not own Danny Phantom**

* * *

Stargazing

Danny took advantage of a rare night off to take Sam up to Thompson Hill for a little stargazing.

Danny set up the telescope, adjusted the tripod, set the azimuth, and fiddled with the focusing knobs.

"Take a look," he invited Sam, "I got Jupiter. You can even see one of its moons."

Sam watched until the planet moved out of the field of view. Then she joined Danny on the blanket where he was just laying back watching the night sky. She looked up and shivered.

"Are you cold, Sam?"

"No. I was just thinking…about the Disaster-oid. How it just came out of nowhere and almost ended all life."

Danny didn't say anything. He was thinking about how the Disaster-oid had been knocked into a new trajectory by Vlad's Saturn Station.

"Looking at the stars used to be so peaceful. Now I wonder if there are other death rocks out there."

"Probably. You know the Disaster-oid was actually two pieces, you know. The smaller one would have missed the Earth. That's the one my Dad blew up with Vlad's false coordinates. We should get a spectacular meteor shower next time we cross its orbit. It was the larger one that almost hit us."

"So what if another chunk comes our way?"

"Considering what we were able to put together in a week, we'll be better prepared next time."

"How much time?" asked Sam.

Danny shrugged. "It depends on how early it is detected. We try to keep track NEO's. We could have months, years, decades, or even longer."

"NEO's?"

"Near Earth Objects. Asteroids that cross Earth's orbit. Then there are comets. Short period comets like the Diaster-oid have aphelion between Saturn and Uranus and make an orbit in under 200 years."

There was something that was bothering Danny.

If the Disaster-oid came from Saturn, and it takes 200 years round trip, then half that distance would be in the ballpark of about 100 years. How did it get from Saturn to Earth in only two weeks?

The observatory astronomers had tracked the Disaster-oid and calculated its orbit back to Saturn. But it couldn't be the same one that Vlad had perturbed. Even with an explosive boost, there was no way it would have traveled all that way in only two weeks. Where there was one ecto-radium rock, there was probably more.

Maybe Vlad's chunk was still on its way.


	10. Sacrifice

Sorry, it's been so long since I updated, here's a little 150 word dribble.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom**

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Sacrifice

"Mom!" Danny wailed.

"But they were on sale, dear," his mother explained

"I'd rather wear my old ones," Danny grumbled.

"You know that's not ….uh…an option," she said tactfully.

"_Now_ you're trying to be discrete? After you bought _these?_"

His mother sighed. "My mother always said that you never know when you might be in an accident."

Danny cringed. It figured that his mom had noticed the condition of his clothes on his last trip to the ER. He had not been in any condition to notice anything. He had woken up wearing a hospital gown. A blush spread across his face.

"But did you have to get these? What were you thinking?"

"Well, Tucker gave us the Friends of Phantom discount."

"Tucker has a lot to answer for," Danny growled.

"I thought you agreed to promote ghost tourism to help Amity Park."

"Yes, but not with Danny Phantom underwear!"


	11. Public Speaking

******AN: I finally followed advice and split off the the series of drabbles that had developed into a connected story line which I will post under the title "To Catch a Ghost". This story will remain a place to post drabbles that are not necessarily related. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom  
**

* * *

Public Speaking

(two 200 word dribbles)

Lancer had made this a required assignment every year. The students complained but it was a valuable skill and in the end they gained a sense of accomplishment in conquering their fears.

"To keep it relevant, you will actually be giving this speech. If you don't have an upcoming occasion where you will be able to speak, see me and I'll make arrangements.

To ensure that you actually give the speech, you will also have to turn in a signed evaluation from the event's supervisor in order to get credit.

You will write your rough drafts and I will help you revise it in class. You will have an opportunity to practice it in front of the class before the public debut."

"I have to give a presentation to the public works committee on the city sewage system," said Tucker.

"Ew. Do I have to listen?" asked Paulina.

Sam spoke up eagerly, "I have a rally for saving the habitat of Clamydephorus Purcelli, an endangered slug."

"Do we have to listen?" chorused the class.

"Ooh Mr. Lancer, I'm going to be in a beauty contest. I could write my acceptance speech!" Paulina gushed.

"Do I have to listen?" asked Sam.

.

.

Mr. Lancer frowned at Fenton's paper. There was always some wise-acre who refused to take the assignment seriously.

Probably, the boy was just trying to get out of it. He knew public speaking could be a terrifying experience. He still broke out into a sweat when addressing the school board to try and explain the latest supernatural incident.

The boy was shy. Daniel lacked the confidence of his outgoing sister. Perhaps, writing a speech to address 'the whole world' was his way of bolstering his courage. Maybe if the kid saw that his teacher was genuinely willing to help he'd come around. So Lancer dutifully suggested some revisions to Fenton's speech.

In the back of his mind he thought about some alternative venues for Daniel. The retirement home would be a good choice with a small friendly audience that was likely too senile to remember anything anyway.

Several weeks later, Fenton turned in a somewhat rumpled copy of his speech along with the standard evaluation sheet. It had been signed and notarized with the official seal of the Secretary General of the United Nations.

"Thanks for helping me, Mr. Lancer," the boy said as he slouched back toward his seat.

* * *

AN: Yes the slug in question is on the endangered species list. Sam would be the first to champion those less appealing endangered species.


	12. Schrodinger's Cat

This drabble is a follow up for the dribble "Half-Life" which is posted under Saphireswimmng's Through Danny Phantom.

This grew out of comments from Truephan and is in gratitude for her help.

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom, or the Quantum Mechanic Paradox, or the cat.

* * *

Schrodinger's Cat

Tucker stood before the double doors. Sweat beaded on his forehead and his breath grew tight in his chest. Inside the hospital Danny's human half balanced on the thread between life and death.

As long as he didn't go inside, he wouldn't know. As long as he didn't know for certain, Danny couldn't be dead. As long as he waited outside, Danny might still be alive. All he had to do was walk inside to make it true...Or false.

Danny's ghost half floating next to him, waiting but he couldn't force his feet to cross the threshold.

* * *

AN: Because of reorganizing my stories, it may be necessary to review anonymously or by pm.


	13. Waiting Area

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom**

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Waiting Area

Danny glanced up at the display board and back to the ticket in his hand and sighed. D85. At the rate he was going to be stuck here all day. Used to acting on split second timing, the long wait seemed interminable.

Phantom shifted the papers on his lap and tried to ignore the curious stares of the other 'customers'. You'd think that after a couple of hours the novelty would have worn off.

The man next to him asked, "Forgive me, but what is a ghost doing here?"

Danny couldn't resist, "The IRS always catches up to you, eventually."

* * *

I beg forgiveness from my patient readers on my lack of updates. Happy tax day!


	14. Tax Office

**According to Tax Form 1504 DP: I do not claim Danny Phantom. **

**This is a continuation of the tax related fics. **

* * *

IRS Office

"The lady on the phone said I needed to come in," Phantom explained as he handed over his 1040.

The middle-aged woman maintained her professional manner as she scanned the almost blank form. "Do you have a Social Security Number?"

He couldn't keep his secret identity if he put down his Fenton SSN. Technically Phantom didn't have one. He shook his head.

"Can you fill in your address?" she asked.

"Not really. Just Amity Park."

The woman sighed. "Let's start with are you a US citizen?"

"I guess. Maybe. I don't know?" Phantom looked at her helplessly. "I'm not even sure what dimension to put down."

The woman sighed. "Age?"

"Two or sixteen depending on how you count."

"I don't suppose anyone can claim a ghost as a dependent?" the woman asked.

"I can't answer that either."

He grinned at the next question; finally one he could answer.

"Occupation?"

"Hero."


	15. Intervention Pt 1 Recognizing a Problem

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom**

**I'm embarrassed to admit I've gone and done one of those clichéd revelation fics. This is the first of seven parts. But my muse got his teeth into this and refused to drop it until I wrote it down. At least I still have to option of deleting it.**

* * *

Intervention

Chapter 1 Recognizing a Problem

Jazz knocked on the door to Lancer's office. He bade her to come in and she entered taking the indicated chair across from his desk.

As the acting vice principle made a few final marks and closed the open folder on his desk Jazz said, "Thank you for making time to see me, Mr. Lancer."

"Of course. Is everything okay? Did you get those letters of recommendation for your summer internship?" he asked with a smile.

She looked unaccountably nervous. "Thank you for writing me a recommendation. I got it sent off last week." She paused before saying the next part in a bit of a rush. "But everything is not okay. I think something might be very wrong. With my brother."

Lancer's smile vanished.

"I know you've had meetings with my parents, about his grades and skipping school."

Lancer nodded gravely. "He started high school with so much promise and his middle school records were excellent. He used to be a bright student but now he seldom completes his homework and when he is in class, half the time he falls asleep."

"I think I know what it might be." She uncharacteristically twisted her hands in her lap. She took a shaky breath and looked back up at the teacher. "I'm afraid Danny may have a drug addiction."

.

.

Lancer sighed. "This is very serious, indeed," he agreed, "What makes you think so?"

"I haven't exactly caught him in the act, but…. " Jazz took a moment to get her features back under control she waved her hands aimlessly. "You've said it yourself; his whole behavior has changed. Sometimes he seems so out of it. Skipping school, the grades…and he's gotten so _secretive_. I know he's hiding stuff. We used to be close, we could talk about things but now he just pushes everyone away. Except his friends Sam and Tucker and they are just as secretive as he is."

"He might be having some trouble adjusting the high school. Adolescents go through a lot of changes," Lancer suggested.

Jazz shook her head. "It's not just that. I know he's had some problems with bullying, this is way beyond that. It's getting worse and worse. I know he's lying about stuff. And sometimes, it's like he's a completely different person. He's not the brother I know."

Lancer waited while Jazz blew her nose. If it was someone else he might have thought they were jumping to conclusions but he was not inclined to dismiss Jasmine. She had proven herself to be a discerning and perceptive young woman. It couldn't have been an easy thing for her to come to him.

After a moment she went on. "It's quite possible that it's not all his fault that he got involved with drugs. I suspect that he was first introduced to them legally. I first noticed changes in Danny's behavior after that accident he had in my parent's lab. He had been put on some strong pain killers for a while. But he seemed to recover quickly and the extra medication was stored away."

She took a breath to steady herself. Lancer felt a heaviness settle in his stomach; he had a pretty good idea of what was coming.

"I checked and found them missing. The original prescription had a refill. I called the pharmacy under the guise of getting information for the insurance company. The refill had been filled as well."

Lancer stared at the desk in front of him and then dragged his hand down his face before he looked directly into Jazz's eyes.

"This is not the first time I've seen a bright young man get trapped in the snare of an addiction. It's not going to be easy, but we'll do what we can to help him through it."

* * *

**This was inspired by a radio program where a recovering addict talked about his experiences. **


	16. Intervention Chapter 2 Enablers

**AN: a bit of AU in that Jazz did not find out about Danny being Phantom**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom**

* * *

Intervention

Chapter 2 Enablers

Jazz knew that Danny was in detention. Well he was supposed to be in detention. It was entirely possible that Danny would skip out of it so she squared her shoulders and hurried up to catch up with Danny's friends. She needed to talk to them without Danny.

"Sam, Tucker, I need to talk to you about something," Jazz said a bit breathlessly as she caught up to them.

"Hey Jazz, what's up?" Tucker asked casually.

"It's about Danny," she began. "I think he may have a serious problem."

Sam rolled her eyes. "Not this again. I told you stop over-analyzing every little thing everyone does. What chapter are you reading in your psych book now?"

"What does that have to do with it?" she asked taken aback by Sam's irritating attitude.

Tucker sighed, "It's just that whenever you read about some new abnormality you start to look for symptoms in everyone around you. Since psychology is such a soft science, of course you find them."

"No, it's not like that at all," Jazz protested.

"Yes, it's exactly like that. This isn't the first time you've decided that Danny has some deep-rooted psychological problem," Sam countered.

"I'm just trying to help him," Jazz told them.

"If you want to help him, then get of his case," Tucker suggested irritably. "Every time you stick your nose into our business, it just makes things worse."

Jazz was taken aback. She knew denial was a common reaction to finding out someone you cared about had an addiction but she hadn't expected such a hostile reaction even before she even said anything about it. She was just going to have to confront them about it bluntly.

"I think Danny has a drug addiction."

For a moment they stared at her then Sam let out a bark of laughter and Tucker snorted.

"Danny?... You think _Danny _is doing _drugs_?" Tucker laughed, "I thought you were supposed to be the smart one."

"I'm not joking. This is serious," she insisted.

"Well you can put you mind at rest. No way would Danny do drugs," Sam assured her.

But Jazz did not back down. She outlined her evidence, much as she had done for Lancer. By the time she was done, Danny's friends were no longer smiling.

Sam shook her head, "You've got it all wrong. Just because Danny may be having a bit of trouble in school, it doesn't mean he's doing drugs."

"It's very common for even close friends and family to miss the signs because the refuse to believe their loved one would do something like that," Jazz said in a carefully even tone. "By denying it you aren't helping him."

"Well falsely accusing him of doing drugs isn't going to help him either," Tucker said.

"I know this is hard b-," she began but Sam cut her off.

"You don't know anything. You have no right to be butting into things you know nothing about," she said angrily.

"Hey, Danny's my best friend. Don't you think that if he were into something like this, I'd know?" Tucker objected.

Then it dawned on her. Their hostile reactions were not denial. They already knew about it and were helping to cover for him. They had said as much before; they were Danny's friends and utterly loyal to him. They didn't want him to get in trouble and were always making excuses for him.

"Helping him hide his problem is only going to make it worse," Jazz pleaded with them.

"We're not trying to hide a drug problem," Sam declared.

"Then what are you trying to hide? Why are you making excuses for Danny? Why are you so defensive?" she pressed.

"Defensive? You're the one who came here accusing Danny of doing drugs. I can't believe you'd think he'd do that!" Sam's voice began to rise.

"I didn't want to believe it either, but trust me-"

Tucker cut her off. "Trust you? You've got to be kidding me. How do you think we can trust you when you come here accusing Danny of something like that?"

"It's no wonder Danny can't trust his fam…" Just then Sam broke off she pointed with a nod of her head. "Danny's coming."

She and Tucker exchanged looks. It was too early and by Danny's hurried trot, and the way he was scanning the surroundings, they knew he must have slipped out of detention to deal with a ghost.

"Great, that's all he needs," Tucker muttered. He turned to Jazz. He had to get rid of her so Danny could transform. "Come on," he said taking her arm. "Let's talk while you give me a ride home."

.

.

Later Tucker called Sam up.

"So? What happened?"

"The usual. It was only the Box Ghost but Danny got caught trying to sneak back into detention so now we won't be able to have our planning session either," Sam grumbled.

"Crud." Tucker sighed they were overdo for discussion on coordinating patrols. Tucker had even hoped to get in a little real down time as well. They all needed it. "We'll just have to skype it."

"Can't. Lancer called his parents and he's grounded again. They confiscated his phone and cut off his computer access."

Tucker's next comment was the unprintable kind. This was bad. The whole point of arranging patrols was to take some of the pressure off Danny. Danny would still be out there fighting ghosts but now, they would be out of the loop and unable to help him.

"Language," Sam said mockingly.

"What are you my mother?" Tuck asked irritated.

"No, but speaking of which, what happened with Jazz?" Sam asked.

Tucker let loose a gusty sigh. "I talked to Jazz and tried to convince her that she was reading more into the situation than was really there and that if she wanted Danny to trust her she needed to show a little trust in him and he'd talk when he was ready."

"Do you think it worked?" Sam asked.

"You know Jazz, once she comes to a conclusion, she can't believe that she might be wrong about it. Now she's convinced we're covering for him."

"We _are_ covering for him," Sam reminded him.

"About being half-ghost. Not snorting cocaine," Tucker answered.

"So what do you think we should do about it?" she asked.

"I think I got her to give us some more time and maybe by then it will blow over, or Jazz will come up with a new theory. I suppose we could tell her he's just love sick and he's so busy pining away for you that he can't concentrate on his work."

Even over the phone Sam could hear him grin. "Shut up, Tuck," she said.

"And he's been missing curfew because he spends all night outside your house staring up at your window," Tucker went on.

"That won't explain why he's been cutting class," Sam deflated his proposal.

"Should we tell Danny?" Tucker asked far more soberly.

"I don't think so. He's got enough to deal with right now," Sam decided. "But I think he's going to have to tell his parents eventually."

"To his parents being a half-ghost might be worse than getting high."


	17. Intervention Chapter Breaking the News

Intervention

Chapter 3: Breaking the News

Mrs. Fenton answered the door. "Mr. Lancer, come in."

She led the way into the living room where her husband stood to shake his hand.

"Thank you for seeing me, Mr. and Dr. Fenton."

"Please, call us Jack and Maddie," the large man invited as he took a seat in the chair opposite the couch facing them. Jazz sat in another chair off to the side.

"Call me Will," his lips into a smile that did not reach his eyes.

Lancer looked at them and suddenly wished he didn't have to do this; after this nothing would be the same in their lives. He stared at his hands gathering the courage to start.

"Thank you for coming to our home, but why did you want to meet us here. Wouldn't it be more usual to have us come to the school?" Mrs. Fenton asked.

"It's not just a school matter," Lancer paused and glanced toward Jazz. "Jazz came to see me earlier today. She wanted to talk to me about her brother."

"If Jazz had concerns about Danny, why didn't she come and talk to us directly?" Maddie asked bewildered.

"I was afraid you would not believe me," Jazz murmured.

Maddie looked stricken but Lancer continued before she could say anything. "There are some things that are better off coming from someone else. I think she came to me because she was looking for more evidence to corroborate her opinion and she knew I had some experience in cases like Danny's."

"Cases like Danny?" broke in Jack Fenton, "What are you talking about."

"Danny may have a problem with substance abuse." There was a moment of stunned silence.

.

.

Jack and Maddie looked back and forth between Lancer and their daughter.

"You mean….drugs…? or alcohol?" Jack finally asked.

"Danny? He wouldn't…." she trailed off seeing the seriousness on their faces. "What happened?"

Lancer waited and then said gently. "He wasn't caught in possession, if he was, it would be a matter for the police, but your daughter has come to me with concerns and we have all noticed that Daniel has had some problems lately."

In a rather shaky voice, Jazz explained that she had found an empty medicine bottle in Danny's trash can which had made her suspicious. A tear escaped to trickle down her face as she described her investigation and her conclusions.

"Since the accident, we've all seen some drastic changes in Danny's behavior," Lancer went on to outline some of the problems Danny had been having in school. "As you know from previous conferences, when he doesn't skip class entirely, he often comes in late or spends half the time in the bathroom. He frequently falls asleep in class. His completion of assigned work is erratic and there has been a marked drop in the quality of his work. His test scores have dropped and his whole attitude toward school has become apathetic. He's been involved in fights. It's not just my class; it's across the board. We knew these things were happening; now we know why."

Jack shook his head, "Danny…I can't believe it. Our Danny… He comes from a good family in a good neighborhood. How could this happen?"

"Danny was such a sweet boy. It can't be. We know our Danny has been having some trouble but he'd never do drugs. We've always told him….he knew the dangers….why would he…? Maddie Fenton covered her face. "What did we do wrong?"

"Sometimes these things just happen, to the best of kids, from loving homes," Lancer said gently. "The thing is not to focus on blame but on getting Danny help."

"If he was in trouble, why didn't he come to us?" Mr. Fenton asked.

"An addict will do anything to conceal their habit," Lancer explained. "It becomes their most important thing."

"I didn't want to believe it either. But we all know Danny has changed. He no longer cares about his interests and hobbies. He misses curfew, stays out all night….", Jazz wiped the back of her hand across her cheeks. "We can't help him unless we face the truth."

Maddie grasped her husband's hand, "A few weeks ago when we took the kids in for a checkup, the doctor had ordered some blood work because his heart rate seemed a bit low. Danny kicked up a fuss and refused to let them take his blood. He said the needles freaked him out, which is rather strange because they never bothered him before. Since he seemed fine, the doctor decided it wasn't urgent and we let it go."

"He must have been afraid drugs would show up in his blood," Jack concluded.

"And there were these injuries. But they seemed to be minor. Danny never complained and they didn't last long. He's always been a bit uncoordinated. Sports were never his thing and he got banned from handling fragile equipment in the science lab."

"I didn't think anything of it. It's normal for a boy to get a few scrapes and bruises now and then climbing trees, taking a spill on their bikes, rough-housing with his friends. Jack shook his head in disbelief, "How could we not have known?"

"A common question from parents and loved ones. He's a bright kid and his ability to hide is far greater than your ability to see through his subterfuges."

"I think we didn't want to think that our son could have a drug problem," Jack admitted.

"An addicts will lie very convincingly", said Lancer, "To quote one recovering addict, "If an addicts lips are moving, they are lying. It's part of the process."

Maddie shook her head. "I can't believe we didn't see this before. What kind of parents are we?"

Jazz reached over and laid her hand over her mother's, "I think we all were blind to it."

"What about his friends?" Lancer asked.

"I think they may be part of the problem," Jazz said and then explained her encounter with Sam and Tucker. "At first I thoughts they just didn't believe it but now I think they are helping Danny conceal his problem in a misguided sense of loyalty."

"Mr. Lancer – Will – you say you have experience in this kind of thing before. What do we do now?" Maddie asked.

"The important thing to do is to get him into treatment. I know who some people who can help get things started and some phone numbers to some treatment centers. Contrary to popular belief, you don't have to wait until the addict hits rock bottom. In fact the earlier we can start working on this the better. I won't lie to you; it's not going to be easy and it's going to be for the long haul. There will be steps forward and steps backwards. Good days and bad days. Sometimes treatment doesn't take the first time but we can't give up. It's part of the process. They call it tough love because there's nothing harder and no greater sign of love."

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AN: Unfortunately I lost the last two installments of this story. I will attempt to resurrect them but it will take some time and I will not be able to post them in a timely fashion.


	18. Intervention chapter 4 Confrontation

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom**

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Intervention

Chapter 4 Confrontation

Danny trudged home by himself. Tucker said he had to stay late for tech club and Sam had left early for a dental appointment. The full thermos in his backpack thumped against his back as he walked up the front steps to his house with a sign. He adjusted his hair to hide the fresh bruise on his forehead. He had been so busy looking at where the ghost was that he hadn't seen the light pole until too late. If Tucker was there they could have had a laugh over it. Somehow Tucker's laughter always made him feel better. Well, if he went stargazing that was one less source of light pollution.

He opened the door headed down the hallway hoping that there was some leftover lasagna left in the fridge. He started to turn right into the kitchen when a voice called his name and he turned to find his family and friends gathered in the living room.

"Danny, come in here please," his mother called.

Taking a couple of steps Danny realized that it wasn't just his parents and Jazz but Sam and Tucker were also there.

"Uh, hi guys," he waved and then turned to talk to Sam and Tucker. "I didn't expect to see you here. I thought you had an appointment and that you had tech club."

"Danny," his father began. Danny was immediately put on alert by his father's somber tone. He scanned their faces and confirmed that they all looked serious. "We have something important to say to you."

"We all do," Lancer's voice came from behind him. Danny spun to find the overweight teacher emerging from the kitchen. There was something about the way they were all around him that made his instincts nervous; as if he were a cornered animal.

"Sit down, Danny," Mr. Lancer said gently as he laid a hand gently on his shoulder.

'Uh, oh," Danny thought, "Is this about that detention I missed? I'm sorry. I just forgot," he apologized.

"No Danny, it's about a much bigger problem. Please sit down, so we can talk to you." His mother said.

Danny hesitantly did feeling uncomfortable with the way everyone was staring at him like they had bad news to break. 'Oh no, did something happen to Grandpa Fenton? He was getting old. But then why is Mr. Lancer here?' he thought. It didn't add up.

Then his mom picked up some papers that lay in her lap and unfolded it. "Danny, we all wrote letters that we are going to read to you." Looking around Danny noted that they all had papers in their grasps.

"What's going on?" he asked bewildered.

"Danny…" Jazz's strained voice was barely louder than a whisper, "They know. I had to tell them."

Danny sat frozen in his seat. He felt the blood drain from his face. He stared wide-eyed at his mother as she began to read from her paper.

"Dear Danny," his mother read. "I want you to know I love you very much. More than I can say. That is why it hurts me so much to see you hurt yourself. We are not here to blame you or to punish you. All we want is for you to get well. No matter what-"

His mother's voice seemed to come from some distance away. He could hear her speaking but he couldn't seem to make sense of it.

Then his father picked up his letter, "Dear Son, I love you. Let me say it again: I love you. But your addiction doesn't just hurt you. It hurts all of us. We love you enough that we can't stand by and watch you destroy yourself. I can't have you doing drugs in this house. If you are going to live here, you need to get treatment."

Danny blinked and gasped. "Wait!...wait. You think that I'm doing… _drugs_?"

Jazz spoke up. "Danny, there's no use denying it. Your behavior, not attending classes, your grades. You stay out all night. You tell Mom and Dad that you've gone to bed early but when I checked your room, you were gone. Just where were you at 4:30 in the morning? You're lying to us all the time to hide what you've been doing and where you've been. I found the leftover medicine missing and you used the refill also."

Lancer then spoke: Danny I've seen you turn from a bright and engaging student to one that barely scrapes by. You had a keen interest in science. You wanted to be an astronaut to study the wonders of the universe. But it was the way you tried to help people that made you stand out as someone really special. Now it's like you don't care about anything. I've lost other students to addiction before; I won't lose you too."

Danny turned looking from one to the other. "I'm not doing drugs. I know what it looks like but I'd never…" the turned to Sam and Tucker. "What are you doing here? You _know _I'm not doing drugs."

Sam and Tucker looked at each and then at Danny. Sam ducked her head.

"Danny…" she cleared he throat and this time her voice came clearer, "Danny. I've helped carry your secret, but I can't carry it anymore. I can't keep washing the blood out of your cloth—".

"Blood!" Danny mother gasped. "What.."

Mr. Lancer intervened, "Wait. This is an intervention, not an investigation. The important thing is to get Danny help. We can worry about the details later.

"Details..?" Jazz's gasp echoed her mother's.

"Danny," somehow the anguish in Sam's voice cut through any protests. "Danny, even if you don't want to admit it, we both know that what you do is dangerous. You've been lucky so far but there have been some close calls. I'm afraid one day your luck is going to run out and….and I'll have to…" tears broke loose and trickled down her cheeks, "have to tell your mom…and.." she swallowed heavily "everyone…that you are dead." She wiped at the face with the back of her hand. "I don't know if I can keep on doing this."

Danny felt as if his stomach was being filled with lead as he stared at her in dismay. "Sam, you never said anything."

She looked back at him. "How could I? You are under enough strain as it is and it wouldn't make any difference, anyway."

"Dude," Tucker said, "You're my bro. We grew up together. We couldn't be closer if we really did share the same parents. I've been with you from the beginning of this. I've taken the fall for you on a lot of occasions lately."

"Tuck, I know you have. I'm sorry I think I took you for granted sometimes. I'm sorry," Danny said miserably.

Tucker shook his head. "You don't have to say it. I know. But now I need you to do something for me. I think you need to come clean with your parents. I think you need to, not just for us, but for yourself. Danny, I know you're scared, but remember; they love you. As Sam said, things can't keep going on like they have."

Danny face twisted in anguish, "I can't stop, Tuck. I can't tell them. You know why."

Tucker nodded, "I know Danny, but you need help. It's going to end really badly if you don't. Maybe not today but one day and at the way things are going, that day may be soon. We always knew that they were going to find out eventually anyway. It would be better if you explained it to them. Whatever you decide, we're with you, man. But it's your call."

Danny looked around at them his expression was one of such frightened helplessness. He had gone very white and even from her side of the room she could see he was trembling. Sam moved to kneel in front of him and took his shaking hands in her own.

"We love you. No matter what happens, they're your family. It will be okay. They love you." She paused, her eyes earnestly seeking his, and in a voice hardly more than a whisper added, "I love you."

He stared back in a long moment of heavy silence. Then he nodded.

"Mom, Dad…." He looked around including everyone, "I have something to tell you."


	19. Intervention: Chapter 5 Revelation

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom**

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Intervention

Chapter 5 Revelation

"I do have a secret, but it's not drugs or alcohol." He looked at them as if hungrily taking in their expressions of love, as if it would be his last. "You might wish it was."

He paused for a moment to try and compose himself and get control over his breathing which was coming in short pants.

In a shaky voice he continued, "Jazz is right: It started with the day the portal was turned on."

"You mean the accident you had in the lab?" his mother asked.

Danny nodded, and took his hand from Sam's grip to wipe his palms on his thighs. "It wasn't exactly an accident. I mean it was, but it didn't just start working by itself. Remember when I told you that I had gotten shocked on a loose power cable? I kinda lied.. You see, it didn't happen exactly like we said it did. I wasn't in the lab when it happened. I mean, I was but I wasn't in the room; I was inside the portal.

"Danny!" his parents gasped. "Do you have any idea how dangerous that was? What were you thinking?"

"Please," Danny begged, "Let me finish. If I don't say it all at once, I don't think I'll be able to."

The room returned to its expectant silence.

"So when it didn't work Sam, Tucker, and I, went down to have a look. Sam wanted to get some pictures for her album, so she had me put on a hazmat suit and pose for a few shots. Then I went in to look around," Danny continued.

"It's my fault," Sam hid her face in her hands. "If it wasn't for me urging him on, he never would have gone in."

"That's not true," protested Danny. "I was just as curious. Ask Tucker."

"It's just as much my fault. I didn't stop you," Tucker said, "I was curious, too."

Danny took up his narrative again. "I'm not sure what happened. I tripped over a cable on the floor and when I put a hand out to steady myself, I think I hit a button and then… there was a flash of green light and then…"

Danny had never been able to describe exactly what he had felt in that pivotal moment of his life so he settled for "…pain."

Tucker marveled at the understatement in Danny's description. It fell far short of conveying his best friend's screams as the electricity flowed though his body and fused it with the ectoplasm.

"I'm not sure exactly what happened, but it changed me. When I came to, I wasn't the same."

"What do you mean?" asked Jazz, "Not the same?"

"I looked different. My hair and eyes, even my clothes…my body."

"What?!"

"I think that was more or less my reaction," Danny gave a short mirthless laugh. "I blacked out again and when I woke in the hospital I seemed to be myself. That is if you don't count the killer headache and generally feeling like I'd been run over by a truck."

"You reverted back, when you passed out," Sam said.

"At first I thought that I must have hallucinated it all but at some level, I felt different," said Danny.

"Why didn't you say anything?" his mother asked.

"I did, but the doctors just said it was probably a side effect from being electrocuted," he shrugged, "I can't blame them. I told them that iI felt this deep cold in my chest and that sometimes I couldn't feel a heartbeat but by the time the nurse or doctor came the feeling went away."

"I do remember the doctors discussing that your vital signs were a bit on the low side but you were lying down, and we thought that you might be one of those people who naturally 'run a bit on the low side'. They told us to keep an eye on you for the next few days. Since there didn't seem to have any problems, we figured everything was fine."

"Then I started having stranger symptoms. Three nights after the accident, I fell though my bed. Just phased right through it and fell to the floor." Danny waited for the expected reaction.

"You must have just fallen out of bed, son. It happens to the best of us," his father smiled.

Danny shook his head. "That's what I would have thought but then it happened again and again. Sometimes, I'd get the odd tingly sensation in part of my body and then I could just pass it right through solid objects."

"Sounds like a ghost story," commented Jazz.

"Yes, it does," agreed Danny. "_Exactly_ like one."

Then I was brushing my teeth and I looked in the mirror and I couldn't see myself. I could see the picture on the wall behind me but I couldn't see myself. I was invisible."

"Or maybe a vampire story," suggested Tucker, but immediately stopped smiling. This was no time for joking.

"It never seemed to happen while the doctors or nurses were there so they thought I had dreamed it and was confused because a massive charge of electricity could do weird things to the brain. And it seemed so strange that I kind of believed them."

"Then he went invisible when we were visiting," said Sam, "Just faded out and vanished completely right in front of our eyes. We could hear him, but not see him. It only lasted a minute or two, but it was no trick of the light."

"What would you expect the doctors to say if I said that sometimes I felt light but not dizzy or light headed like it was hard to say on the ground? And then there was the exhaustion; sometimes after one of those strange episodes I just got so tired, I couldn't keep my eyes open.

They did tests and eventually decided that it was an anomaly or there must have been an error, or their machines were faulty. They prescribed some pain killer for the discomfort and sent me home and told me to get plenty of rest."

"It was after I got home, that I had a particularly bad episode. Sam and Tucker were there. Then my chest sort of started aching, that same deep cold feeling from before but much more intense like, I don't know, like this emptiness was reaching inside me and trying to claw its way out. The feeling kept building until there was the sudden flash of light and…"

"He changed again," said Sam, "hair, clothes, and glowing green eyes. But the strangest part of it was that he was _floating_ a couple of feet in the air and glowing as if it was the most natural thing in the world. It only lasted a minute then there was another flash of light, and he returned to normal.

"I didn't know what was going on. I just felt as if I had been dunked into ice water and there was this…stillness inside. It was then I realized that I couldn't feel my heart beating. I admit; I panicked."

Tucker said, "Danny yelled, but by the time Jazz came rushing into the room he was normal again. What could we say? She yelled at us for playing nasty jokes on Danny when he was feeling ill and Danny suddenly looked it; pale and worn out."

"I don't understand?" said Mr. Lancer, "What happened?"

Danny turned to address him, "At the time, I didn't know. These weird things kept happening but I knew no one would believe me if I told them."

"It was Sam who figured it out; Danny didn't just get a jolt of electricity in the portal. He was also infused with ectoplasm; that was why all those weird things were happening." Tucker stopped suddenly and looked at Danny to go on.

"But it was more than that," Danny's voice became a shaky whisper, "I was no longer quite…human."

"What are saying, Danny?" his mother asked.

Danny swallowed heavily, and closed his eyes unable to look at his parents. "What I'm saying is, is that I am part ghost."

"Ghost? That's impossible!" his father exclaimed.

"You're alive, not dead!" his mother stated.

"Danny, I don't know what you think you are doing, but you can't distract us with a ghost story and think we will forget about getting you into a rehab program," Jazz declared.

He could tell that he would have to show them. He opened his eyes and looked at each of them in turn.

Mom, Dad, Jazz? I want you to know, I love you." He felt stupid, that he couldn't stop the tear from trickling down his face, but this might be the last time, he'd ever be able to tell his parents that.

He reached inside to that cold place and triggered the transformation rings.

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AN: My deepest apologies to my readers but the last two parts of this story were deleted. I am making the attempt to reconstruct them but, unfortunately it might take some time.


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